The Rage: The Prophecy of the Ten
by thablackkuririn
Summary: Set after DBGT. In the future, the Earth is a divided world in entrenched in a Cold War. An ancient prophecy foretells the arrival of the Ten, who must face the evil being that has been manipulating the fate of the Earth since the death of Goku. Dedicated
1. Prologue

The Rage: Prophecy of the Ten  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ is owned by people who are not me who haven't given me any permission   
to use their copyrighted material. But that's not gonna stop me (Bwahahahaha!!!!).   
Ahem...well, anyway, all other characters are were created by myself and other fans   
and any similarity with a real person is either purely coincidental or intentionally   
malicious, whichever is more convenient. Please don't rip the characters, it took to   
long to make them up!  
  
Prologue  
  
A wise man once said that peace is merely the short time between wars. Perhaps   
he meant to point out the inevitability of conflict. Perhaps he wanted to stress  
the importance of enjoying the fleeting moments of peace. Or maybe he just liked   
the way the quote sounded. Either way, he did prove to be right. Peace cannot last  
forever, even on Earth.  
The Earth was the most peaceful place in its quadrant, almost a paradise unto   
itself. A global government benevolently ruled and people lived in relative peace  
and comfort. When conflict did arise, great heroes rose to the challenge, defending  
the people of Earth. The last and greatest of these heroes were the Z warriors, an   
unprecedented gathering of the some of the strongest in the galaxy. For nearly 100  
years, these warriors defended the planet and the galaxy from terrible threats. The   
group included the strongest humans, but was dominated by Saiyans, a misplaced race  
of ultra strong humanoids.   
By the last few years of the group's existence, however, the membership had dwindled  
to a handful, led by Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. In a battle out in space, the two Saiyans  
died, leaving behind no successors. The Z warriors disbanded, vowing to reform if a   
threat reappeared.  
The threat never reappeared, at least not overtly. A recession and a nuclear disaster  
sparked regional tensions among the people, eventually leading to a world war that   
scarred much of the planet. When the war finally ended, the world was sectioned into   
5 countries. For 450 years, these countries remained locked in a cold war, making the   
world a cold, dark place, ruled by oppressive military states. These countries conducted   
many covert operations and projects, attempting to discover a weapon that would give them   
victory over their enemies. And only deterrence kept them from using these weapons.  
Through all of this, the Z warriors never reappeared. The Saiyans melted into the   
population, most never knowing what they were. There were no more defenders for the planet  
Earth. And in the shadows, a darker power lurked, ready to pounce on the vulnerable Earth.   
However, an ancient prophecy was discovered, that foretold the coming of The Ten, who   
would fight back the darkness, and return light to the people of the Earth.   
The coming of The Ten is now... 


	2. Chapter 1

The Rage: Prophecy of the Ten  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ is owned by people who are not me who haven't given me any   
permission to use their copyrighted material. But that's not gonna stop me   
(Bwahahahaha!!!!). Ahem…well, anyway, all other characters are were created by   
myself and other fans and any similarity with a real person is either purely coincidental or   
intentionally malicious, whichever is more convenient. Please don't rip the characters, it   
took to long to make them up!  
  
Part 1 – The SuperHuman Saga  
Chapter 1  
  
The man sat in a lotus position, his head tilted down, deep in a meditation trance. If he   
were doing so in a monastery or a dojo, it probably would not look so odd. The man,   
however, meditated in mid-air above the peak of a mountain. He hovered above the   
snow-covered ground, unmoving despite the fierce wind that howled around him stirring   
up snow and ice.  
Despite the sitting position, it was obvious that the man was tall. He wore long brown   
pants and a white tunic; over his shoulders he wore a white cape, which flapped   
frenetically in the wind. His dreadlocked hair, however, refused to be pushed around; it   
remained in place on his head. All around him the white snow swirled, contrasting with   
his dark chocolate skin. Even in this relaxed position, an immense internal power was   
evident, brooding beneath his passive exterior.  
He was the Watcher. He had been known by countless other names, but this one was   
the only one that ever seemed to stick. In his meditation, the man sat and observed the   
world, just as he had done for nearly 400 years. Reaching out with his mind, he could see   
nearly everything. Slowly, methodically, he would scan the entire globe, constantly   
searching, constantly querying. Constantly watching…  
He allowed the tendrils of his mind to pass over the millions of minds below. He   
sensed power levels, searching for any anomalies, any new powers. Nearly all of the high   
power levels still remained. No doubt some had perished since his last check as was   
common for the Earth. He moved about, focusing on 20 in particular. They were the   
Potentials, the strongest among the strong, perhaps the ones he'd been seeking for so   
long. He checked them over, one by one, before moving on.  
Suddenly, he felt something break through his psychic net. The net extended 50,000   
miles beyond the Earth's atmosphere, a distance he'd taken 100 years to achieve. Beneath   
his unmoving exterior, the Watcher's mind raced, quickly analyzing the object. It was   
round, metallic, emitting radio waves and radar. He recognized the shape absently,   
knowing that it contained a single being. The being was powerful, very powerful. The   
Watcher's pulse quickened; whoever it was could be dangerous. He scanned the   
brainwave patterns of the being. He couldn't detect anything wrong…  
The projectile was closing in swiftly on the atmosphere, from what he could tell. He   
could already sense the bombardment of radiation being directed at it, no doubt from the   
5 governments who had just detected its existence. He calculated the velocity and the   
position of the projectile. The results surprised him; on entry, it would pass directly over   
him in less than 30 seconds.  
The Watcher's eyes snapped open. He slowly looked up, seeing a burst of flame   
appear and streak across the sky. It suddenly all made sense to him.  
" 'Behold the star of Fire and rejoice, for the Ten cometh,' " he muttered to himself   
reverently. He watched the projectile continue it's fiery flight before the atmosphere   
extinguished the fire. He knew where it was going, where it would land, what the secret   
operatives would do with it once it was found. That is, if they could handle the Namek   
waiting inside. He grinned a toothy feral grin.  
"Finally. Let the game begin."  
  
--------  
Kildrun didn't snap out of his meditation until the space capsule slammed forcefully   
into the Earth's atmosphere. He snapped his eyes open. The emptiness of space greeted   
him on the other side of the clear metal hatch. Despite it's aerodynamic properties, the   
spherical capsule began pitching and rolling in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Kildrun   
almost began to panic before reminding himself that he had no control over the capsules   
maneuvering. With his heightened Namekian senses, he could feel the temperature rising.  
"What the hell's going on?" he wondered. He noticed a faint beeping and, turning his   
head towards it, discovered that the small computer screen, which till then had only a   
blinking cursor, now displayed two spheres. One sphere was 10 times larger than the   
other; the smaller sphere blinked red in concert with the beeping. As he watched, the   
smaller sphere moved closer and closer to the larger one. The meaning suddenly clicked   
in his head. He recalled this pod also erupting into flames when it entered New Namek's   
atmosphere. That meant he was within a planet's atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere.  
"Why the hell don't I see it?" he thought, just as he felt a small bit of thrust. Slowly,   
the capsule rotated, bringing the blue planet into view. He could see the details of the   
surface, which became more defined as the capsule rocketed through the atmosphere. The   
pitching had stopped after the burning re-entry, and he could feel the slow deceleration.  
"I wonder where I'm gonna land?" he thought. It wasn't that important, really, since   
he couldn't choose where to land anyway. He absently looked toward the screen again   
and, to his surprise, he saw calculations and a projection of his path.  
"So, those Saiyans aren't just stupid bulldozers after all. This capsule is full of   
surprises." he thought. Fortunately, the capsule would land well within a landmass, so he   
wouldn't have to worry about fishing it out of an ocean. It would still be a few minutes   
till he touched down, by his estimation, so he went over his plan in his mind. He needed   
to locate the Earth special forces. Then he would contact Dende. Hopefully he could   
convince them to come back to help him with the Saiyans…  
------  
  
Below, chaos ensued. The capsule had not gone unnoticed. Since before it ever came   
within 100,000 miles of the Earth, the armed forces of each of the Earth's five   
governments had been watching it closely. They all recognized the familiar spherical   
capsule and it did not make them feel good. For hours they scrambled, scanning the   
capsule for life signs, calculating its trajectory, and, most importantly, detecting the   
inhabitant's power level. They were dismayed to find that it was high.  
By the time the capsule had entered the atmosphere, however, four of the countries   
stopped tracking the object since it had no chance of landing there. The top brass in each   
of those countries breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing they wanted to do was deal with   
an impulsive Saiyan.  
In the fifth country, Arano, they prepared for the worst. The top brass, having been   
alerted to the situation, had put General Sleet in charge of receiving the visitor. Sleet was   
known for efficiency, heavy-handedness, and intelligence, all of which would serve him   
well when dealing with Saiyans. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it.  
"Damn it, can anyone get me the status on the damn capsule?!!" he yelled.  
"General, it's still closing at 500 miles an hour. ETA is two minutes." A private   
responded.  
"Two minutes? Where's it landing?"  
"About twenty clicks from the deep desert base."  
"Good. Send out a 'welcoming party'."  
A lieutenant spoke up. "Ahem, General, do you think that'll be enough, considering   
the power level? The Saiyan could be hiding his power."  
"Hmm, you're right. Do we have any heavy units in the vicinity?"  
"Not at the deep desert base, General," the private responded, "but there's one three   
minutes away. Should I dispatch them"  
The General pause, thinking. "Tell them to send out 3 mediums and two heavies. Have   
the rest of the unit hang back, just in case. We don't want to show our whole hand yet."   
He turned toward the lieutenant. "Tell me something: why would the Saiyans send a   
single capsule not a week after their last visit. There were three of them then."  
The lieutenant furrowed his brow and stroked his chin, thinking. "I don't know. They   
said they would return in half a year. Maybe something important came up?"  
"No, they'd still send at least 3. Besides, they said themselves, the only time they send   
the single capsules is when they are going to conquer a world. They certainly aren't doing   
that now. We have a treaty, after all…"  
"So, if not them, then whom?"  
"I don't know…but I think we'll be able to handle whoever it is. If it really is a   
Saiyan, we'll impress them with the show of force. If not, we can capture whoever it is.   
After all, " he said, grinning darkly, "our mad doctors can always use new 'research'   
subjects."  
------  
  
The Aranan unit moved swiftly over the dunes, propelled by their hover transport. The   
troops didn't speak a word. Most were clutching crosses or praying to themselves. They   
all had a worried look. Only one word could reduce a special forces unit to this state.   
Saiyan.  
They'd all heard of the first encounters of the five governments with the Saiyans.   
Massacres all the way around; the humans had no idea what they were facing. The   
Saiyans still were known to go lash out and kill humans, though not as frequently as it   
was rumored. That didn't stop them from worrying. The Saiyans could see their show as   
an insult just as easily as they could be impressed by the show of military force. And, to   
make it worse, they didn't even have any heavies in their unit. That meant their weapons   
would be useless. They could be just going to the crash site to die…  
The transport glided silently to a stop.  
"Alright, ladies, let's fall out!" the grizzled looking Sergeant called out. "And be on   
alert. If anybody dies today, it better damn well be him!"  
They streamed out of the transport, fanning out around the capsule that rested in a   
huge crater. On a signal from the Sergeant, they trained their plasma rifles at the capsule,   
waiting for any movement.  
"So, what do you think, Sarge?" a nearby soldier whispered.  
"Dunno. If it's a Saiyan, I guess we go down there and pretend like this ain't no   
hunting party. Otherwise, they want us to bag whoever it is." He replied.  
"And how the hell do they expect us to do that. We got no heavies!"  
"They're sending out some. Should be here in a minute."  
"Great, so till then we're the cannon fodder."  
"Cheer up soldier, it ain't the first time, won't be the last, if you're lucky." The sarge   
replied, flashing a wry smile.  
"SARGE!" someone yelled out. "The hatch's opening up!"  
"Ladies!" the Sarge said through the comlink, "Set your rifles to heavy stun and hair   
trigger. We only get one chance, so fire if I say so."  
The guns all trained on the capsule's opening. Slowly, a caped figure emerged from   
the capsule, into the desert sunlight. The sun shone on his red skin.  
"Fire." The sarge whispered. 


	3. Chapter 2

The Rage: Prophecy of the Ten  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ is owned by people who are not me who haven't given me any   
permission to use their copyrighted material. But that's not gonna stop me   
(Bwahahahaha!!!!). Ahem…well, anyway, all other characters are were created by   
myself and other fans and any similarity with a real person is either purely coincidental or   
intentionally malicious, whichever is more convenient. Please don't rip the characters, it   
took to long to make them up!  
  
Part 1 – The SuperHuman Saga  
Chapter 2  
  
High pitched shrills filled the air as thirty plasma rifles discharged round after round   
towards the red skinned figure in the impact crater. Each bluish-green bolt of energy   
packed enough power to render 200 full-grown men unconscious on impact and a   
concussive force strong enough to push a car twenty feet. The red alien never moved as   
the hail of shots rained down around him. As each shot landed, a cloud of dust rose,   
obscuring the results of the attack from the attackers.  
"Alright, hold fire men!" the Sarge called out. The call echoed as designated people   
on the circle repeated the command. The Sarge looked below, trying to see anything in   
the cloud of dust they'd just made. The wind refused to come and sweep away the cloud.   
He would have to take more direct action. He spoke into the com-unit "Kenjo."  
"Yes, Sarge."  
"Take the two guys next to you and go down in the crater. Have three more follow   
you three. Go in weapons ready and on maximum discharge."  
"Shoot to kill, Sarge?"  
"Yes." He replied. Not that he thought it would matter. He'd seen better, faster   
soldiers try to shoot a Heavy in short range. They had barely squeezed a shot off before   
the Heavy had killed them. And those were just training exercises…  
"Stay on your toes, ladies." He called out to the remaining soldiers on the crater rim.   
"Anything but one of us comes out of there, it gets shot." He heard the familiar whine   
and click of the plasma rifles as they switched from stun to plasma discharge. The   
soldiers remained quiet, nervously gripping their rifles and praying. The Sarge thought   
that he should be feeling the same, but he'd been in so many life and death situations like   
this, his mind didn't even let the fear register. So he waited…  
---  
  
Kildrun heard and felt the blasts coming before he ever actually saw them. Not that he   
was afraid of them hitting him; he was far too fast for the slow moving projectiles. Before   
he began to think about it, he was dodging the stun blasts. He could have blocked them,   
but he figured that the cloud of dust would allow him to stay hidden while he got more   
information about his attackers. By use of ki, he kept the cloud suspended in the impact   
crater, hoping to lure in some of his attackers. It did not take long for him to be rewarded.  
"…where the hell is that red bastard?" a voice said ahead in the dust.  
"Hell if I know." He heard another voice say. "Any readings on the infra-red, Kenjo?"  
"No, nothing. If he's like a Heavy, he could be anywhere, though."  
The three remained silent until they literally walked into Kildrun.  
"Holy ---"  
"What the ---"  
"Ack!!!"  
Before they could continue their exclamations, Kildrun kicked one and punched the   
other two with a minute fraction of his power. In a rush of air and dust, the three flew   
outwards and upwards, toward the edge of the dust cloud. Kildrun smiled, hearing dull   
crunches and expletives as the three landed. He turned his head, hearing three more sets   
of footsteps rapidly approaching him. He rocketed toward them, kicking up dust and   
letting go a half-snarl, half-yell that he hoped scared the hell out of the rest of his   
attackers. The three soldiers, hearing the Namek, began shooting wildly, hoping to   
somehow hit the unseen foe.   
Kildrun flew in faster, batting away the stray blasts directly back at the soldiers. He   
could hear the sickening impact as the bolts tore through their flesh.  
"Enough of this undercover fighting," he thought, "let's bring it to into the light."  
He stopped in mid-air and began powering up his energy. Around him, the wind began   
to swirl and move, stirring up the dust surrounding him. Static electricity gathered like   
small lightning bolts, arcing and shooting around his body. A yell began forming in   
Kildrun's throat, finally escaping as he reached the right level of power.   
"Yeee-aaaah!!!!" he yelled. His erupting aura forced the stirred wind outward,   
blowing the dust away and revealing him to the frightened troops below.  
---  
  
The Watcher noted the exchange passively; Kildrun could slaughter that "elite" squad   
with very little effort. He was more concerned with the five warriors heading towards the   
battle. He hoped Kildrun had the power to deal with them. They wee Superhumans,   
genetically engineered and trained to wield huge amounts of ki energy. They were   
created and employed by all five governments, though the cost of creating and raising   
each one kept the ranks to less than fifty per country. Of the five who approached, three   
were "Mediums", with power levels ranging from 50,000 to 150,00. The other two were   
"Heavies". These were the elite of the elite, from whom the Superhumans gained their   
nickname. They ranged in power from 150,00 to 250,000. The Watcher could sense that   
Kildrun had immense power, but he had a bad feeling that it would not be enough   
today…  
---  
  
"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!!!" the Sarge yelled. It was fruitless, however; Kildrun had   
disappeared before any shots had come within ten feet. He dove down into the mass of   
soldiers who were firing erratically, trying to hit what they could not see. He punched the   
first soldier he encountered in the jaw, breaking his neck with a sickening pop and   
sending the body flying into three more soldiers. Before the other soldiers began to   
realize he was there, he had killed three more with equally bone shattering and lethal   
efficiency.  
Kildrun suddenly felt his antennae twitch. He instinctively dove to the right, looking   
back as he rolled out of the way. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw a ki blast rip   
into the remaining soldiers, mangling their bodies beyond recognition. He traced the faint   
path of the ki trail upwards to a group of five people floating in the sky. He furrowed his   
brow, trying to get a good read on their power levels. He didn't like what he sensed.  
Three of them were somewhat less powerful than himself. The other two were about   
even with him, at least at now, when he was only at about thirty percent.. Even at full   
power, they might be stronger…he would have to be smart if he wanted to survive this   
encounter. He stood up, dusting off his clothes, the trademark garb of the Namekian   
Warrior. The remaining soldiers, stunned at first by the deaths of their teammates,   
retrained their guns on Kildrun, preparing to shoot.  
"I wouldn't if I were you.." Kildrun warned gruffly, raising his hand, and a ki ball, in   
their direction, "I can kill you all before those five could stop me. Not that they care   
about you all anyway."  
The soldiers froze, then began backing away, weapons lowered. "To hell with it." the   
Sarge yelled out, voicing what the others were thinking. "Let the Heavies deal with it.   
Fall back!"  
As the soldiers retreated, Kildrun focused his attention on the five who still floated in   
the air, smirking confidently at him. They remained locked in a stare for several minutes   
before Kildrun's patience ran out.  
"Well, are you gonna fight me or bore me to death?" he called out. The group burst   
out laughing, They descended to the ground quickly, still grinning at what they perceived   
to be a joke.  
"It seems this little red ant is in a hurry to be squashed." one said. The speaker, like his   
comrades, wore what Kildrun thought looked like highly modified Saiyan armor. He   
wore black boots and his hands were bare. Kildrun noticed an insignia and lettering he   
couldn't recognize over the left breast. His skin was a very light pink and a shock of   
brown hair fell over his head. He had cold, steely gray eyes and a mouth that seemed to   
naturally set into a smirk. Kildrun could tell from his demeanor that he was the leader.  
"Funny," Kildrun said sarcastically. "What the hell do you want?"  
"We should ask you the same." the man replied. "It is illegal, by treaty with the Saiyan   
Empire, for any unauthorized landing on this planet except by Saiyans."  
"I don't recognize any treaties you have with those bastard monkies," Kildrun said,   
spitting out the last words. "My planet isn't controlled by them."  
"The other four laughed amongst themselves at Kildrun's audacious statements. The   
leader held up his hand, silencing them.  
"Perhaps this is true," he said, "but what you do or do not recognize is irrelevant. You   
have landed in our country. Therefore you are at mercy to the whims of our government.   
Or, more specifically," he said, grinning evilly, "our government's representatives. We   
will be taking you back to our headquarters for 'questioning'."  
Kildrun figured the "questioning" involved anything but questions. "And if I refuse?"   
he asked tightly.  
"Well, it's not a question of whether you're coming with us. You will be coming with   
us, the question is if you'll walk there or be carried there."  
It was Kildrun's turn to laugh. "I see. Well then, would you do me the favor of giving   
me your names? I'll need them for your headstones."  
The five burst out laughing again. "Damn, Captain," one of them said, "This one's got   
a pair of grapefruits, don't he?"  
"Indeed," the captain replied, grinning. "I don't usually grant requests, but I'll make   
an exception.  
"I am Kangru. My lieutenant Stavro," he pointed to the taller and paler man. He had   
Norse features, with ice blue eyes and golden hair pulled back in a long ponytail. "My   
two corporals, Allahn and Tuling," he pointed to two men with Asiatic features. "And   
last my sergeant, Fei'lo." he pointed to the last man, a short, brown skinned man. "I've   
never known a person wanting to know their assassin before dying…"  
"You talk too much. I'm stronger than all of you."  
"I think you'll be surprised. But definitely not pleasantly." Kangru motioned to the   
others. "Let's see what our red friend can do, shall we?"  
On cue, all five powered up quickly, stirring up the wind as their red auras exploded   
outwards. Kildrun stared, mind boggled. They had just tripled their power levels in less   
than ten seconds. He had to power up soon, or he would not stand a chance.  
His thoughts were cut short when he saw Fei'lo suddenly appear in his face, fist aimed   
for his gut. Kildrun dodged easily enough and prepared a counter but had to break it off   
when he heard the telltale swish of a leg slicing through the air (and at his head). He   
twisted to the side to avoid both the kick and the rapid punches of Fei'lo. He swung his   
legs around and upward, not trying to land a blow so much as to give himself some room.   
He noted with satisfaction that Fei'lo had received part of the blow but his other attacker,   
Allahn, had only dodged. For a moment they traded blows and blocks, before Fei'lo   
returned with Tuling. Kildrun knew he could handle these three, not because he was   
stronger but because he could keep them off balance and uncoordinated with his speed.   
But he still needed some room and some time to power up. If one of the others jumped in   
now, he doubted he could hold out.  
Kildrun continued dodging the blows that were raining in his direction, staying just a   
hair's breadth ahead of his foes. Tuling, frustrated, lunged in hard with a punch, throwing   
himself off balance and placing himself between Kildrun and the other two. Kildrun,   
having sensed the blunder ahead of time, seized the opportunity by forcefully thrust   
kicking the over-extended man into his partners. At the same time, he directed ki through   
his outstretched leg, quickly pushing himself fifty feet away. He calculated having a   
minute, at the most, to power up. It wouldn't be nearly enough time to power up fully,   
but it would help till he make another opportunity to power up. Assuming the other two   
didn't interfere…  
As if they had heard his thoughts, Kangru and Stavro launched at him ten seconds into   
his powerup. They zanzokened so fast he did not have the time to raise his guard. He   
doubled over in intense pain, feeling the effects of Kangru's knee that had been savagely   
jammed into his abdomen. He did not have time to contemplate the pain in his stomach,   
as Stavro snapped his head up with a vicious high kick to his chin. Kildrun flipped   
backwards uncontrollably, flying directly into a double axe handle blow from Kangru. He   
crashed into a sand dune, creating a crater twenty feet wide in diameter. He lay for a   
moment, trying to push back unconsciousness and shock brought on by a magnitude of   
pain he had never before experienced. He slowly, painfully rose to his feet, mentally   
checking his injuries. They were bad, but his natural healing ability would take care of it.   
That is, if he could avoid getting pummeled any more.  
"Hah, where is your honor?" he called out, pausing to cough and spit up blood.   
"Attacking during a power up?"  
"There is no honor." Kangru replied through a feral grin. "There is only winning and   
losing. How you choose to arrive at either end is irrelevant." He motioned with his right   
hand to his comrades, who fanned out to surround Kildrun. "Now, are you coming   
quietly, or are shall we dance again?"  
"A Namekian warrior never gives up, even in the face of death. You want me,"   
Kildrun declared, "come get me."  
"Have it your way." Kangru said. "And, by the way, even the power up you've   
managed in the last thirty seconds isn't going to help you." He motioned to the others,   
who promptly launched themselves at Kildrun, who yelled out, gathering as much power   
as he could.  
---  
  
The Watcher could watch no longer. Even as he saw the merciless beating Kildrun was   
taking, he reached out to the other Potentials, touching their minds. With this new   
situation on the horizon, he would have to move his plan into action before he had   
intended. He used his psychic powers to appear to each of the Potentials, saying what   
they needed to hear to agree to meet with him. That accomplished, he reached out to   
Kildrun, who refused to let go of consciousness, which fueled the anger of his attackers.   
He spoke with the red Namek, convincing him that he would be safe. Reassured, Kildrun   
stopped fighting, allowing himself to slip into unconsciousness. 


	4. Chapter 3

The Rage: Prophecy of the Ten  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ is owned by people who are not me who haven't given me any   
permission to use their copyrighted material. But that's not gonna stop me   
(Bwahahahaha!!!!). Ahem…well, anyway, all other characters were created by myself   
and other fans and any similarity with a real person is either purely coincidental or   
intentionally malicious, whichever is more convenient. Please don't rip the characters, it   
took too long to make them up!  
  
Part 1 – The SuperHuman Saga  
Chapter 3  
  
Engar shuffled along slightly stooped over, keeping his eyes on the ground. He hated   
to walk like that, knowing full well he could just as easily fly away on a moment's notice.   
He knew better though. After two years on the run, he had learned to blend in, to hide his   
power at all times. A slight lapse in his front, and sweepers and Heavies would be   
dispatched in minutes. Though he knew at full strength he was more powerful than four   
or five Heavies, he had learned his lesson the first time he had encountered them. They   
were ruthless and cunning, delivering quick blows before he could power up more than a   
fraction. They attacked in packs like jackals and he had been fortunate to survive his few   
encounters with them. He knew he could not take them on without fully powering up.   
And so he hid in broad daylight, mimicking the behavior of the other peons who   
inhabited all the world states.  
He turned left down a side street, keeping his other senses sharp for anything. He   
wondered to himself why he had even decided to go to this meeting. It had not exactly   
been easy getting into Aran unnoticed. He had to call in a big favor to secure documents   
that would allow him to move about with relatively few problems. But for all he knew,   
this could be an elaborate trap laid just for him. It certainly wasn't beneath the Aranian   
government to do such things. But the stranger had said something that made him forget   
all of his reservations…  
"I have information about your parents…and the Saiyans…"  
That had convinced him. Only four people alive knew anything about the deaths of his   
parents. Three were the perpetrators, ruthless, mind-numbingly powerful beings that   
claimed to be of the Saiyan race. He was the other. In all his travels, he had yet to find   
others who knew anything about the Saiyans. It was as if they didn't exist. But the   
stranger knew something, maybe even something that would help him avenge his parents.   
It was a chance he would gladly take.  
He took another left into an alley. By now, Engar could tell that at least three people   
were following him. He never understood how the countless spies could seem to pick   
people like him out of a crowd, but he had seen them in action before. They were almost   
always right. He figured that they were probably wearing live mics and cameras, ready to   
transmit at a moment's notice. He couldn't make any sudden movements, but he had to   
lose them.  
"Or kill them…" he thought with a smile.  
He ducked into an open door suddenly, letting the darkness envelope him. He jumped   
up and wedged himself into a corner of the ceiling. Within thirty seconds, as he expected,   
he saw the beams of two flashlights dancing around in the darkness. By his estimation,   
these were average humans. They would easily be dispatched. He worried somewhat   
about the other person, whom he could not sense. He wanted to take them out quickly and   
having one outside his sensory range did not bode well.  
He heard a shuffle above on the next floor, most likely the last trailer. He could still   
maintain surprise if he took the first two out. He dropped quickly, zanzokening to the first   
one and swiftly breaking his neck before a sound was made. Engar had done the same to   
the other before the first body hit the ground. He figured the sound would bring the other   
one down to investigate, so he hid again in a corner of the ceiling.  
When the third person stepped into the room, Engar knew something was up. Instead   
of breathing, he heard a slight whirring of machinery. The person walked very   
deliberately and quietly as he looked around, which was odd, since he didn't have a   
flashlight. What really disturbed Engar was that he could not get a read on him, not even   
a fake power level. Something was wrong with this picture.  
Engar stiffened, seeing the gaze of the person stop squarely on him. He wondered if   
the person saw him. When the person lunged at him from across the room, his question   
was answered. Engar zanzokened away, follwed by the recovered attacker, who flew   
after him, Engar suddenly turned back on his pursuer, landing a punch straight into his   
jaw and sending the attacker sprawling. He jumped up, eying Engar in the darkness as   
Engar concentrated on him. Engar couldn't help but wonder about him. His jaw felt like   
titanium, yet he had floored the man. Maybe it was because it was a surprise blow   
but…he got the feeling the man wasn't that strong. But he had survived a blow that Engar   
figured would have severed the head of a normal human. That meant that he was pretty   
strong…and why the hell could he not detect the man's power level?  
His thoughts were cut short by a foot that was making its way towards his head. He   
easily ducked, grabbing the leg with his right hand. He yanked back, pulling his assailant   
directly into a kick from his right leg. He heard a distinct crunch, signaling the severance   
of the leg from the body. Engar jumped up and grabbed the other leg, floating up in the   
air so as not to make more noise. The man was dangling upside down from his one   
remaining leg. He lifted himself up, landing a punch to Engar's jaw. Engar flowed with   
the punch, letting go of the leg and spinning. The assailant was, therefore, surprised to   
see Engar's left fist flying directly into his face. Before any more thoughts could register,   
Engar knocked his head off. He heard the head land with a dull, clunky thud.  
"That doesn't sound right." He thought. He didn't ponder it much though. When the   
people he'd killed failed to report in, sweepers would be by, He had to be far away by   
then.  
He ran past the flashlights that still glowed on the floor and out the open door, turning   
in the alley towards his destination. He flicked two switches on his belt. Feeling the   
weight of one hundred times gravity lift from his body, he took off running down the   
alley at full speed. As he sped along, he kept thinking of the severed head he had seen in   
the glow of the flashlights. The head from which broken wires and metal protruded.  
--------  
  
"Well, what do you think, brother?" Saucony asked.  
"Hmm. Looks pretty clean from here," Sebago replied. "I can't see a light on in the   
place, and nothing's moved since we've been watching."  
"True. I'm not picking up anything on the scanner. There's no activity at all in there."  
Sebago scratched his head, thinking. "You don't think our scanner's getting jammed   
up, eh?"  
"Come on, brother, we made this thing to be jam proof, remember? Those dull   
Aranian scientists couldn't jam this thing unless they banged on it with a sledgehammer."  
"Heh, we are geniuses, aren't we?" Sebago chuckled. "What say we get down there   
and see this guy? Maybe he can tell us more about our parents."  
"Let's take some smoke and tear grenades just in case. I don't want to fight out of   
there without a little insurance." Saucony said.  
"Gotcha, mate." Sebago replied, grinning.  
The pair headed down the hall and into the stairwell of the old abandoned tenement.   
They had been there for a half hour, surveying the abandoned warehouse where they   
were supposed to meet the stranger. They were nervous and rightfully so, being among   
the many escaped Heavy trainees. If not for their intellect and luck, they could easily be   
re-apprehended. Which was why coming to this meeting did not seem like the smartest   
thing to do. But the stranger had told them he knew information about their parents, for   
which they would gladly pay anything to hear. Like most Heavy trainees, they had been   
abducted at birth from their parents. It was the one part of their lives that had always been   
missing.  
They walked to the front door of the old tenement, scanning the surrounding area   
tensely for any signs of life. Sensing none, they used their super speed to dash across the   
street and over the barbed wire fence in the blink of an eye. They were careful not to use   
their ki, because any abnormal raising of ki would alert sweepers within a ten mile radius.   
They did not slow down until they were in the threshold of the building. Saucony pulled   
out the scanner, waving it around trying to detect anything. It still registered nothing.  
"Well, so far, so good." Saucony projected telepathically to his twin.  
"Let's be on alert though." Sebago replied. "You never know…"  
"I know, brother."  
They continued slowly and quietly. Though there were many forks and turns, the two   
seemed to instinctively know which way to go. Finally they reached a door that had   
obviously been opened recently, as there was a streak on the dusty floor. The two looked   
at each other and, sensing no danger, opened the door. Bright light flowed out from the   
door at them. They stood, dumbfounded, as their minds tried to register the paradox that   
confronted them. Saucony whipped out the scanner. Sure enough, it registered no energy   
or heat or life.  
"Damn thing must be broken." He said to Sebago.  
"Obviously. We must look at that later. But we may as well go in now…"  
The two stepped into the room. They were surprised again to see a group of people all   
looking at them enter. Automatically they tensed up, ready to take the defensive or   
attempt an escape. The people in the room also tensed up, preparing for a fight.  
"Who the bloody hell are all of you?" Sebago exclaimed.  
"We should ask you the same thing!" a young looking male asked. "Who sent you?"  
"No one sent us! We're here for a meeting…"  
Everyone seemed to relax at that statement. "Well then," the guy replied, smiling, "so   
are we."  
Sebago and Saucony looked visibly relieved. "Heh, sorry about that mates." Saucony   
said. "We don't exactly have reason to trust too many people, you understand. Anyways,   
this here is me brother Sebago. I'm Saucony. We're from Hayashi. How about you   
guys?"  
The first guy answered. "I'm Golaf, from Sougen." He looked fairly young, about   
seventeen or eighteen years old. He was about 5'8" tall. Everything about him seemed to   
be blue, from his hair down to his boots. The only things not blue on him were his   
swords, that rested in orange scabbards on his back.  
"Engar. I'm from, um, Tentetsu." Engar looked a couple years older than Golaf. He   
wore a black leather jacket over a black tank top. His black ensemble was completed by   
black jeans and boots. He also had on a black belt that Sebago suspected was for more   
than fashion. He had short, black hair that he combed back. He also seemed fairly tall,   
which must have been hard to conceal when moving about in the open.  
Another guy stepped forward. "Jah'nee. I'm from right here in the good old United   
States of Aran." He said with sarcasm. He looked to be 21 years old, with brownish black   
hair and a goatee. He was about average height and build. He wore jeans and a tee shirt   
and sneakers, obviously clothes suited for blending with the regular people.  
"Gwen." A girl standing next to Jah'nee said. "I'm from Aran too." She was about   
5'5" tall with short brown hair. She wore a short jean jacket over a tank top, and blue   
jeans and sneakers. From the relative closeness of she and Jah'nee, Saucony figured they   
knew each other.  
"Rei." Another guy said gruffly. "That's all you need to know." He was easily 6'3",   
with long, black hair and a muscular build that was hardly concealed by a long black   
trench coat. Underneath that, he wore a with shirt and black slacks. On his back, a sword   
was visible. He did not look overly friendly, to say the least.  
"Surudoi. I'm from Guntou." The guy who spoke was easily the youngest of the   
group. He was about 5'4", and wore his long blond hair in a ponytail. He was clad in   
what was apparently a cleverly disguised brown gi, and leaned on a long staff that was   
nearly as tall as he was.  
"Haratake, from Hayashi." He was around 5'9" tall, with olive colored skin, a bald   
head and an earring in his left ear. He wore baggy cargo shorts and sneakers and a long   
sleeved white shirt. He looked to be about 16 years old, but he was built very solidly.  
"Ko'hi." The girl said cutely, "I'm from Tentetsu." She was about 5'10", with dark   
skin and short, twisted hair. She wore what looked to be a functional black armor suit   
disguised as a bodysuit. Over it, she wore a tank top and skirt, and she also had black   
sneakers on her feet.   
"Tourou." The last guy said. "I'm from Guntou." He was about 5'5", with Asiatic   
features and black, spiky hair. He wore a "Chinese" shirt and black pants, as well as   
black shoes.  
After the introductions, there was a little pause. Understandably, they still didn't   
completely trust one another. They were all waiting for something to break the ice.  
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Ko'hi said suddenly, "but this place is a dump!   
Honestly, after how long it took to get here, the Stranger could've at least made some   
refreshments or something!"  
Sebago chuckled. "True, I could use a spot of something to drink."  
"Like a beer." Jah'nee said dryly  
"Ya, mate, a beer sounds right." Sebago said, smiling.  
Soon, the rest of the group, except Rei, was chatting away. They talked about   
themselves and speculated on what the Stranger had brought them there for.  
"Hmph," Rei snorted. "Isn't it obvious? He wants something."  
----------  
  
The time had finally arrived. Before him sat and stood twelve of the twenty Potentials.   
He had already expected these twelve to make it. Two had been killed, four captured, and   
two refused to join. He didn't blame the two for refusing. A dangerous game was at hand;   
there would be no room for the weak.  
A dead silence hung in the room that had before been alive with chatter. That tended   
to happen when people appeared out of thin air, as he had. It was not that he had not been   
there all along, he had simply convinced their minds that he was not there. He looked   
around noting the looks that ranged from reverential to almost sneering. He reached up,   
pulling the hood away from his head and revealing his dreadlocked hair. He unfastened   
the robe and swept the cape off and behind himself. He wore and old style white button   
up shirt and a pair of black pants, as well as a pair of Chinese style black shoes. He stood   
about 6'3" and had dark brown skin. He flashed a brief, rare smile before beginning.  
"Welcome," he bgan,. "As I expected, more than half of you made it here with   
relatively little trouble."  
"What?" Tourou asked, "You're saying there were more?"  
"Yes. Four captured, two killed, two refused to come. I had anticipated these things."  
"You knew it was going to happen." Gwen said, "Why did you have them come   
then?"  
The Watcher sighed and old, tired sigh. "You will learn, as I did, that Fate is not so   
easily denied." He paused. "I'm sure many of you have questions…"  
"Yeah," Saucony said, "Like why the bloody hell you have us here in Aran?"  
"I'm glad you asked," the Watcher replied, "I must admit that I…"convinced" you all   
to come here for reasons other than the one I intend…"  
"Huh, figures." Rei said, sneering. "So you lied to us to get us here. I wouldn't be   
surprised if you set us up."  
"Rei Kumai, I've been known to be unscrupulous," the Watcher said tightly, "but I am   
a man of my word. I promised you information and I promised the meeting would be   
safe, and I will follow through. All that I ask of you all is that you listen to what I have to   
say. Surely, if you went through the trouble of getting here, you can listen to me for   
twenty minutes to get what you came for."  
Rei glared back at him. "Fine, twenty minutes. This had better be good." The others   
nodded in silent agreement.  
"Good then. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Killian. In the past, I have been   
known by many names, but the one that has persisted is The Watcher." He pause as   
several people gasped, astonished.  
"Impossible!" Surudoi exclaimed, "You can't be Kil'an the Watcher! He lived more   
than 300 years ago! You'd have to be at least 330 years old!"  
"More like 400 years old, give or take a decade." Killian replied. "However, that is not   
important. I summoned you all here today to talk about destiny; yours, mine, the Earth's,   
and how they are all connected." Killian paused. He had waited a long time to give this   
speech.  
"Long ago, more than half a millennium, the planet earth was much different. The   
world you live in can only be described as repressive, dangerous, splintered. It could not   
be more different from the world then. The people's of Earth were united under a single   
government and lived in relative peace. The world was cleaner, a paradise in it's own   
right. At times, however, this peace was interrupted by the likes of Cell, Majin Buu, and   
Evil Shenron. When this happened, a group of powerful individuals stood up to defend   
the Earth. They were the Earth's Special Forces. At every challenge they persevered,   
ensuring the Earth's peace."  
They began murmuring amongst themselves about what Killian had said. "You are   
thinking I am crazy. Well, believe it or not, Cell and Buu were not simply legends or   
myths. As has been the case for several hundred years, the five governments have been   
hiding the truth about these beings, among many other things. But I digress.  
"Unfortunately the grandchildren and great grandchildren of these warriors did not   
take up the mantle of their parents, leaving the Earth undefended. Fortunately, no threat   
the likes of Majin Buu dared attack Earth. It did not matter, however, because the true   
threat to the planet was far more insidious. It was the darkness in men's hearts."  
"It was around my twenty-first birthday that the downward slide of the Earth began.   
During my childhood and teenage years, regional faction had sprung up and with them   
came hostilities. It was around this time that, in my travels, I discovered an ancient text   
called 'The Phrophecy of the Ten'. It was a novelty to me until I had it translated. Up   
until then, I had never believed in fate or destiny…  
"In a nutshell, the prophecy foretold two things. The first was, as it said, the descent of   
the Earth into darkness. From what I read, I could recognize the events that were   
happening in my own time. I vowed to stop the pivotal event that would send the Earth   
into the darkness.  
"Unfortunately, I failed to stop the nuclear accident from happening. It was huge,   
affecting nearly all regions and moving the regions to separate, hostile governments.   
Seeing that I failed, I vowed to fulfill the second part of the prophecy. The second part   
foretells of The Ten, who will defeat the Dark One and return the Earth to the Light.  
"Recently, I received the sign I've waited hundreds of years for. The time draws near   
for the final conflict with the Dark One. I must gather the Ten together to face him." He   
paused, letting his words sink in. "There are among you, I believe, some of the Ten."  
----  
  
After a heartbeat, confused and concerned chatter erupted from the group of twelve.   
Killian allowed them to talk, giving them an opportunity to release the stress he had been   
building up.  
"Ok, I'm not saying I buy your mystical BS," Rei said, loudly, "but even if I did, why   
call us all here if the prophecy only calls for ten?" The others murmured in agreement.  
"Unfortunately, the prophecy was not that specific. It only mentions two of them in   
significant detail. And those two people are not from Earth."  
"Are they Saiyans?" Engar asked very suddenly. He looked at Killian eagerly.  
"No, they are not Saiyans. One is called the Dragon Child, the other simply called The   
Namek. I mentioned that I saw the sign of the coming of the Ten. That sign was the crash   
landing of the Namek on Earth."  
"Let me guess," Jah'nee said, "The Namek crashed in the Aranian desert?" Killian   
nodded. "Well, you may as well forget about him then. He's probably been taken to the   
Desert Base. There's no escaping from there on his own."  
"Well, that is where you all come in." Killian replied flatly. He waited while   
comprehension set in.  
"No. Hell No!" Jah'nee said, echoing the sentiments of most of the others. "That place   
is a fortress in a fortress. Not to mention that the largest concentration of Heavies in Aran   
is based there. It's the friggin' Heavy research and training headquarters!"  
"I don't know much about the place, but that sounds like a death trap." Haratake said.  
"I think you all underestimate yourselves. Each of you are, at the least, slightly less   
powerful than a True Heavy." Killian said. "Besides, we may be able to foment an   
uprising among the trainees that have been forced into Heavy training. Then, there's   
always the Namek."  
"That may be true, but we can't count on it." Rei retorted. "I know I'm not alone when   
I say that even I have trouble taking on three fully powered Heavies."  
Killian shook his head. "I'm not asking you to charge in there with guns blazing. We   
simply need to extract The Namek. I have a plan that will reduce the chance for failure. I   
know all of your abilities. We can pull this off. Otherwise, without The Namek, the world   
is lost."  
He still saw uncertainty in half of their faces. "I see you are not all convinced. Well I   
ask you, are you not tired of running, hiding, and fearing for your lives. The governments   
of this world are treating you like animals to be used or destroyed. By doing this, we   
strike a blow at the powers that have been hounding you and other like you. Maybe we   
will be able to save others from their clutches. If you still feel you cannot join me, I will   
understand. The play we are staging is a dangerous one."  
"Well, I want to do what's right." Engar said. "Count me in."  
"Well mate, you can count me and Saucony in." Sebago said.  
"Count me in too." Gwen said. "It's about time I paid the Aranian government back   
anyway."  
Others began adding their support, till the only undecided were Jah'nee and Rei.   
Jah'nee looked around the group, who were looking at him and Rei expectantly. His eyes   
moved to Gwen's. He knew what he had to do.  
"Ah, what the hell?" he finally said. "I don't have any love for the Aranian   
government either. Besides, I broke out of there before. You'll need someone to guide   
you guys through there." The others cheered at his decision, slapping him on the back   
and shaking his hand, much to his discomfiture.  
"What about you, Rei?" Jah'nee said to Rei. Everyone quieted down and looked at   
Rei. He glared back at the group.  
"Look," he said gruffly, "I didn't come here to sign myself up for any crusades. I   
haven't spent the last five years fighting to stay ahead of the governments just to walk in   
and give myself right to them. You," he pointed at Killian, "are asking us to commit   
suicide."  
"No, Rei, I am asking you to put your lives on the line for Earth. The fate of this   
planet, your planet, is at stake. Are you so self-centered that you would allow this planet   
to die?"  
"Don't give me that shit! There are a roomful of people here who are plenty strong, as   
you said. If you guys can't get the job done without me, the Earth needs to die. So don't   
try to peg anything on me. I don't buy this whole fate crap. I'm the only one who   
determines what happens in my life."  
If Killian was disappointed, he didn't let it show. "Very well, you are free to leave   
whenever you choose. As promised, I will disclose the information you are seeking." The   
last sentence he projected directly into Rei's mind.  
Rei nodded, then turned and strode away from the group towards an exit. He stopped   
and turned around before stepping through the exit, as if conflicted  
"I hope for your sakes, that you are killed." He said. "God help you if the Aranian   
army scientists gets a hold of you alive." Then he turned and stole away into the night.  
----  
  
Killian allowed silence to reign after Rei's departure. His refusal was unfortunate but not   
unexpected. The group that had, until then, looked enthusiastic, were now looking   
thoroughly disappointed and doubtful. He considered "adjusting" their attitudes, but   
thought better of it. It was not his place to make there decisions.  
"If anyone else is unsure of their decision, they should go also. There is no room for   
hesitation." He looked over the group. No one made a move to leave. He felt relieved and   
smiled at the group. "Excellent. We have before us a major undertaking. Only a handful   
of people have ever broken out of the Desert Base. No one has ever broken in, despite   
many attempts. The downfall of the infiltrators has always been their motivation and their   
tactics. The other governments all seek Aran's advanced Heavy technology and seek to   
destroy it. They attempt to do so through infiltration, which always ends up in failure.   
They never outright attack the installation for fear of nuclear conflict. The Desert Base   
has never realistically expected to come under attack. This is a major weakness, which   
we must exploit."  
"So, what, a full frontal assault?" Golaf asked.  
"That'll never work." said Jah'nee. "They have enough ordinance to blanket the   
surrounding airspace for miles."  
"And they have an energy dome." Gwen added. "We can't fly in or out of there."  
Killian nodded. "This is all true. But we will not be attacking with the intent to enter.   
We will be attacking to misdirect. From what I know, the defenses you mentioned are   
only used when certain proximities are breached. However, if we keep the battle outside a   
certain radius, the worst we'll face is a squad of Heavies. Unfortunately, this will be the   
largest squad you have ever seen."  
Everyone groaned in unison.  
"Don't worry, for once you guys will have the opportunity to fight at full strength.   
That will make a difference. Also, while of this is happening, I will be creating another   
disturbance to divide the Heavies, and the attention of the base. That will allow a small   
three or four person team to get in, find the Namek, and escape."  
"Oh, I get it." said Surudoi. "Double misdirection. But that doesn't explain how the   
small team will sneak in undetected."  
"That is a question we will have to reserve for later. Sweepers are on their way at this   
moment. I suggest we continue this conversation at a safer location."  
They all jumped to their feet, looking around like caged animals. The made moves to   
head towards exits.  
"I suggest you follow me. I left some unpleasant surprises that are motion activated."   
He swept his robe back over himself. "This goes without saying, but no ki usage. Follow   
me please."  
He leapt up three stories onto an iron walkway, followed closely by the group. They   
headed quickly down a dark hallway. After a few turns and a few flights of stairs, they   
found themselves in front of a gaping hole in the ground.  
"Ok, jump down." Killian instructed, pointing at the hole. "Move in the direction of   
the water flow and keep running. Let's go, quickly! The sweepers are almost in the   
warehouse."  
They nodded grimly and started jumping down the hole. By the time the sixth person   
had jumped, an explosion rocked the warehouse, shaking the room they were in.  
"Shit! Faster, the explosives are chained. We have thirty seconds at the most." Killian   
said quickly. "The remaining people jumped in as the explosions became louder and   
closer. Killian looked around once, then stepped into the hole as an explosion ripped   
through the room. He fought the urge fought the urge to look up at the fire that was   
chasing him down the tube-like hole. He smiled to himself.  
"It's been far too long since I've had any excitement." He thought. He hit the ground   
and leapt forward twenty feet. Half a second later, the fire followed him. By then,   
however, he had doubled the distance and was not looking back. 


	5. Chapter 4

The Rage: Prophecy of the Ten  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ is owned by people who are not me who haven't given me any   
permission to use their copyrighted material. But that's not gonna stop me   
(Bwahahahaha!!!!). Ahem…well, anyway, all other characters were created by myself   
and other fans and any similarity with a real person is either purely coincidental or   
intentionally malicious, whichever is more convenient. Please don't rip the characters, it   
took too long to make them up!  
  
Part 1 – The SuperHuman Saga  
Chapter 4  
  
Durnoka was pissed, and rightfully so. It was not often that he, Chief Officer of the   
Aranian Directorate of Internal Investigation, was awakened in the middle of the night.   
When he was, it only meant bad news. He hated bad news.  
He rolled out of bed and slipped on a robe, then headed out of his room and down the   
hall to his office. He went to his desk and sat down, pressing his palm against a pad near   
the monitor. This simultaneously activated the monitor on the desk and stopped the near   
earsplitting noise that blared from an implant in his ear. He idly thought about gouging it   
out…The light on a camera mounted on the monitor blinked on, indicating it was   
transmitting his image. He made sure to scowl angrily at it.  
"This had better be damned important!" he said to the person on screen in a tone that   
matched his expression. As he expected, Keehol, his assistant director, flinched.  
"Y-yes sir, it's very important." he replied, straightening up. "Sir, I am in transit to a   
warehouse…well, what's left of a warehouse. Sir, I'm afraid we lost a lot of sweepers   
tonight."  
Durnoka silently cursed. The loss of sweepers was very bad. They were, like heavies,   
difficult to locate and train, though not nearly as costly as the super humans. The best of   
them were high-level psychics, whom were the most useful and costly. The fact that   
Keehol did not state a set number indicated that there was a major loss on their hands. He   
braced himself for the worst.  
"How many?"  
"Four full sweeper teams, sir."  
"God damn it…" Durnoka whispered. That amounted to 20 low or middle class   
sweepers plus four high-level leaders, not to mention the backup suppression personnel   
that normally numbered 20 per team. "How did it happen?"  
"Apparently they were investigating traces of energy shielding in the warehouse. They   
got a few signals that a sizeable energy level was inside, which would explain why 4   
teams were sent in the first place. It's reported that a few minutes after they entered they   
were caught in a series of explosions that engulfed the warehouse."  
"Was it an accident?"  
"Doubtful. The explosions appeared to be chained."  
"A trap…good God, who could have done this. Who reported this to you?"  
"A Heavy squad had contact with the sweepers and were a minute away when the   
explosions occurred."  
Durnoka's head swam. It was an obvious setup, and now they were less twenty-four   
key individuals. He could not, however, think of anyone, even any rogue Heavies, that   
would have the audacity or resources to do such a thing. He had to get to the bottom of it.  
"Ok, Keehol, handle the scene. I want it picked over with a fine tooth comb; no stones   
left unturned, understand?"  
"Yes sir."  
"Good, I expect your report on my desk in twenty-four hours." With that, he switched   
off the monitor and computer. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. This was   
big…very big. How the hell was he going to explain it to the High Council?  
----------------  
  
The long walk finally ended when Killian called a halt. They had ended their run long   
ago; Killian assured them that anyone near the explosion would be in no condition to   
chase after them. After a moment, a corridor opened leading out of the sewer. The group   
followed Killian inside and, after a short walk and another hidden door, they all stepped   
into a vast, brightly lit chamber.  
The chamber was a stark contrast with the dank, dark sewer they had just emerged   
from. Its walls were white and smooth and they swept upwards into a dome shaped   
ceiling thirty feet overhead. The floor was smooth white tile with gold lines crisscrossing   
every two feet. Electric sconces dotted the walls periodically. Here and there, a column   
like pedestal would hold various artifacts; a helmet here, an old sword there, and various   
odd sets of armor on stone busts. There were four doors that exited the room spaced   
evenly along the walls and marked with writing that none of the group could understand.   
In the center of the massive room was a large, low circular table with sitting pillows and   
small chairs surrounding. It was an impressive sight to them, as most never knew any real   
luxury.  
"Whoa, some place you got here." Guntou said. "Is this all marble?"  
"Yes.This place," he waved his hand around, "is a result of an immature stage I went   
through a century and a half ago. It's a waste, really, and no place for a warrior to live   
with all this comfort. It makes you soft. I'm glad I didn't stay here long."  
"Wha…so how long has this place been abandoned?" Ko'hi asked, incredulously. "It   
looks like you just left."  
"Hmm…it wasn't too long ago. Only about 125 years." He replied nonchalantly. The   
entire group face-faulted. "Anyway, now that we're here, let's get to work."  
"Hold on now." Jah-nee said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm frickin'   
tired and hungry. We need a rest."  
"After that short walk?" Killian snorted mockingly. "I'd hardly call that tiring,   
especially for fighters of your caliber. But since that little stroll apparently took   
everything out of you, I'll allow an hour of rest, after which we will get back to   
business."  
"Wait a damn minute." Jah-nee said angrily. "'Allow'? Who the hell do you think you   
are…we're volunteers, not…"   
"I know what you are, better than even any of you yourselves." Killian said in a   
tightly restrained voice. "And I know damn sure that not one of you is prepared for what   
we are about to do. Every minute that we argue, rest, and do anything but prepare makes   
you less likely to succeed. By my estimation, we have at most five days, four of which   
we will intensively train. This is not fun and games; it is deadly serious. If you can't be   
serious about it, you endanger those that are, and I won't allow that. So if you have a   
problem with how I run this operation, I suggest you leave empty-handed. Now." He   
looked around at the group, meeting any angry looks with a cold stare. "Fine then, the   
doors to the right are to the living quarters and bathroom. To the left are the kitchen and   
training area. You have one hour, then we meet again at the center table. If anyone needs   
me, I will be in the training room." Without waiting for any reply, Killian turned on his   
toe and headed to the training room.  
"Well, that was pleasant…" Surudoi said sarcastically. "I can't wait to see him upset."   
Everyone chuckled nervously.  
"Well, let's check this place out." Gwen said to no one in particular. The group broke   
up, heading into various parts of the dwelling. Only one, however, headed after Killian   
into the training room.  
--------  
  
Engar was a little more than astonished. He could vaguely tell that Killian was doing   
some kind of kata, not that he could really see it. The black man moved in blurs all over   
the huge room. Soon, he had sped up till Engar only felt and heard the movement of air as   
it was buffeted about. To say that he was mind-boggled was an understatement.  
"Do you want something or are you just trying to get in my way?" A voice said behind   
him. Engar almost jumped out of his skin. He whirled around to see Killian there with a   
slightly irritated look on his face.  
"H-how…I could barely follow you. And without ki usage…I didn't feel anything!"  
"Yes, I know. Reliance on ki is dangerous. It makes you think you are stronger than   
you actually are. I prefer to isolate ki strengthening from martial arts training."  
"Well, I never thought of that. Maybe it could give me an edge…"  
Killian flashed a brief smile. "You have the warrior spirit, Engar. You always look to   
improve yourself. Despite your training slipping in the last two years, you still have   
managed to raise your level, and your spirit remains strong. Fortunately for you, you have   
the grav belt your father gave you; and you never seem to turn it off either."  
"How did you know about that?!!"  
"There are few things on this planet I do not know. Is that not why you came to me?"   
Engar nodded solemnly in response. "The loss of your parents was very unfortunate.   
Your father was a good man, despite his unfailing naivete."  
"You…you knew my father?"  
"I did."  
"Then why? If you knew so much, if you can see so far…why didn't you help him?"   
Engar said accusingly. Killian looked away for a moment. He looked back at Engar, a sad   
smile on his face.  
"You are truly your father's child. The same innocence, the same righteous   
indignation, the same ignorance of the ways of the world. To you it seems I let your   
father die, that I might have done something to save him. If it were only that easy. Had I   
defended your father, I would only have brought down the wrath of the Saiyans on Earth.   
This is something that your father never understood till it was too late. Your father, like   
yourself, had little idea of what he was getting into, what odds he was facing. He only   
thought of honor and doing what he thought was right, never considering the   
repercussions if he failed. When he met your mother, he was a man running from a past   
that he hoped would stay behind. But they came anyway, relentless like the hunters they   
are. You know who I'm talking about."  
"The Saiyans…" Engar said hoarsely, his voice tinged with a mixture of fear, hatred,   
anger, and awe.  
"Let me tell you about these Saiyans, whom you wish to destroy so badly." Killian   
began recounting the history of the Saiyans, including their transformations and the last   
of the Saiyan heroes on Earth. "These Saiyans you faced…I know very little of them.   
They are descendants of hundreds of Saiyans that were off-world when Planet Vegeta   
exploded. At this point, they have rebuilt the Saiyan Empire to its status before Freeza.   
But now they are more dangerous than ever. Now, they are Super Saiyans."  
Engar absorbed the knowledge for the moment, storing it for analysis later. "If you   
knew this much…why did you let my father go to face them."  
"I didn't want to let any of them go. I warned Capsule Corporation against the entire   
project. But they ignored me due to pressure from the five governments. The five   
governments financially backed the project; they hand picked 100 of the strongest   
fighters in the world for the job. They were all naïve, like your father. Born hundreds of   
years too late, they believed Super Saiyans were a myth, that Majin Buu was a fantasy,   
and that Cell was an urban legend. The Saiyans lured them in, lulled them into a false   
sense of security…then slaughtered all but five of them. The five attempted to return to   
Earth, but they were betrayed. The four others sacrificed themselves to allow your father   
to escape, to warn the Earth. It was a miracle that allowed your father to remain   
conscious long enough to key in the auto-pilot on his craft before lapsing into a coma  
"After he recovered under your mother's care, he was to weary and too afraid to go to   
Capsule Corporation, to get involved again. So he lived out his life with your mother and   
you. But he always feared that one day they might find him. It is something that you, too,   
should fear."   
Engar straightened up. "Why is that?"  
"Because they allowed you to live. Till you become strong enough to say otherwise,   
your life will be forfeit at their discretion."  
Engar nodded, a look of determination set on his face. "That is why I wear this   
always." He pointed to his belt. "I will become strong enough to avenge my parents!"  
"If the fates will it, you will do more than that. Your father taught you well. Given   
time and special training, I believe you can do it."  
"How much time?"  
"As long as it takes." Killian said, smiling. "Don't worry about time. It is the most   
predictable and easily defeated of all your enemies." Engar looked puzzled with this   
remark, but accepted it without question. "I would invite you to spar, but it is time for our   
meeting."  
-------------  
  
The group lounged around the table eating from various dishes as Killian and Engar   
emerged from the training room. Engar's eyes lit up when he saw the food. He rushed   
over to the table, intent on stuffing his face.  
"The hour is up. Let us begin." Killian said. He eyed the food. "This food is a   
distraction. I need your full attention." With a slight flick of the wrist, the plates and   
utensils lifted and floated into the kitchen. Engar looked disappointed, to say the least.  
"Hey! I wasn't done!" Golaf exclaimed indignantly. The others mirrored his protests.  
"It does not matter. The food can wait, this meeting cannot. Or have you all forgotten   
what I said earlier?" A few people opened their mouths to protest, but thought better of it.   
Killian continued.  
"Now then, I will quickly outline my plan for you. While we are small in number, we   
have surprise on our side. They will not expect us, nor will they expect to face people of   
your power. We must use this advantage to keep them off balance. First, I have a few   
things to show you."  
The lighting dimmed in the room. A bright hologram appeared slightly above the   
center of the table. "This is a schematic of the Desert Base, including a five mile radius   
surrounding . Most of you need not be concerned with more than the area outside the   
base. The majority of the surrounding area is little more than sand dunes, though there are   
some rock formations here, here, and here. " he pointed to the locations on the schematic.   
They will serve as cover for the most part, though I would not rely on them."  
"Question." Saucony interjected.  
"What?"  
"I see other outcroppings surrounding the complex. Why do you only point out the   
ones on the Northern side?"   
"Simple. A concerted attack on the main gate will draw out more of the enemy. They   
will also think the attack is uncoordinated. Since you will be powered up ahead of time, it   
will give them time to meet you all far out from the gate. At the same time, I will be   
creating a similar distraction on the south side. This will enable the three man team to   
enter through the west wall. After that, it's a matter of holding up long enough to break   
Kildrun out." Everyone nodded in understanding.  
"I want to stress something to you all. This mission will not succeed if you all do not   
work as a team. You all, by necessity, are not team players, but that is not going to fly   
here. I imagine you will be faced with not only fifty or more Heavies, but also a large   
contingent of support personnel. With that much firepower aimed at you, you will not   
survive unless you watch each other's backs. To help you all with the teamwork, I am   
assigning you partners. You will protect one another and attack together. There will be   
four pairs. When you approach the battlefield, split up into your pairs and spread out very   
widely. That, way, your attackers will have to spread themselves thinly.  
"Now, part two involves the three man team, which will consist of Jah-nee, Gwen, and   
Golaf."  
"But I want to fight like everyone else!" protested Golaf.  
"This is not up for debate. The team needs three people and, to me, the success of the   
team is most important. Further, you are younger and less experienced than anyone else;   
this will be a less dangerous task for you."  
"Hey, I can take care of myself just fine!" Golaf retorted.  
"Then prove it on this mission. When you guys escape with Kildrun, you'll have   
plenty of fighting to do." Killian replied. Golaf glared angrily at him, but didn't say   
anything. "Ok, those are all the instructions for everyone but the infiltration team. I   
strongly advise you to go to the training room to practice with your partners before you   
head off to sleep. Tomorrow we train, hard. Let's get to it."  
As the others got up grumbling, Killian turned to Gwen, Jah-nee, and Golaf. "Your   
mission is much more complicated, I'm afraid. Internal security is very tight because of   
the frequent escape attempts by trainees. So you guys will need to create some chaos in   
there to make operating a little easier."  
"How do we do that, if security is high?" Gwen asked.  
"The first thing you should do is disable security monitoring. As you can see, the   
primary controls are located right in the middle of the complex. But you can tap into the   
system through an auxiliary terminal here." He pointed to a small square on the   
schematic.  
"It's not marked." Jah-nee said ,"How will we know when we've found it?"  
"I will guide you all. And, no, we won't use radios. The radiation will trigger alarms. I   
have it covered though. At any rate, once security is disabled, you will need to go to the   
trainee quarters and free the trainees. If you can, convince them to join you, but above all   
else tell them to escape."  
"One question, fearless leader." Golaf said sarcastically. "What if they turn on us?   
They're Heavy trainees after all."  
"Simple. You kill them." Killian replied, looking hard at Golaf before continuing.   
"This should create enough disturbance for you to move with relative freedom. From   
there, move to Kildrun's cell. Fortunately it's near the trainee area. Expect stiff   
opposition; they have big plans for him and thus will have lots of security. I doubt it'll be   
more than an annoyance to you, but I figured you might like to know.  
"After you've rescued Killian, you will need to plant remote charges at the locations   
marked on this map. Then escape the way you entered and be prepared to fight your way   
out. Kildrun, you will find, is more than up to that task."  
"Well, it sounds do-able. As long as we don't get any nasty surprises." Jah-nee said.   
"What's our time frame?"  
"Forty-five minutes. You will be dropped in fifteen minutes ahead of the main battle.   
The security system must be deactivated right after the Heavies have left to face us. From   
then on you are free to set the schedule of operation. Just make sure to be out in the   
allotted time. I also have some equipment for you all to use on the mission. If you'll   
follow me…  
---------------  
"I can honestly say I've never been more tired in my life." Ko'hi sighed. "Killian,   
can't we slow down or something?" Everyone echoed her sentiments tiredly.  
"No." Killian said flatly. "Fighters of your caliber should be able to handle training   
more extreme than this. Extreme training is the only way to make any difference over   
short periods. This is merely a warm-up, people"  
Everyone groaned.  
Ignoring them, Killian continued. "I'd like to introduce you all to a piece of equipment   
you'll grow to love. It will make training harder and more effective." They all watched as   
ten belts floated across the training room towards them. "These are grav belts. They   
create a filed of gravity around the wearer up to 1000 times normal."  
"And this helps us how?" Golaf asked.  
"Intensity training." Engar said before Killian could reply. "At 10x, things weigh ten   
times normal. Just moving is a struggle."  
"Exactly. Everyone grab one and strap it on." said Killian. "Engar has one already and   
is familiar with its use, so I'll have him help you all with them. By the way, take good   
care of these. Capsule Corporation doesn't make these anymore without a special   
request."  
"Capsule Corporation?" Surudoi asked, surprised. "I thought they didn't exist   
anymore."  
"Well, if you know the Briefs family like I do, you'd know they never go away."   
Killian said plainly. "Now then, when you've all familiarized yourselves with the   
devices, repeat all of the exercises in 10x. Engar, you do them in 50x. After that, we'll get   
to the real training."  
As he walked away, Killian noted with satisfaction the sound of people falling to the   
ground in shock. He imagined he would have plenty of time now to meditate and spy on   
the enemy before they were finished with the warm-up.  
Engar, meanwhile, looked at his teammates on the floor, a sweat bead dangling from   
right temple. "Um…is there something wrong?"  
  
Two hours later, the last of the group finished the last of their repetitions. As if by   
clockwork, Killian stepped up to them. He eyed the ragged looking bunch with a mix of   
annoyance, disdain, and humor. He did not, however, berate them, as they expected. "I   
have unexpected and unfortunate news. It means that we will be training more intensively   
than I originally planned."   
"What happened?" Sebago asked.  
"They've moved up the dissection and cloning time on Kildrun. It happens in two   
days." Killian replied flatly. "Pair up people. When I'm done with you, the world will   
know how truly weak the Heavies are."  
-------------  
  
General Sleet read Chief Officer Durnoka's report for the third time. It still left a bad   
taste in his mouth. He was not so much worried about the losses as he was of the   
implication the attack represented. Someone was definitely attempting to undermine   
detection efforts. Anyone who was a secret enemy would be dangerous, especially if they   
would and could resort to such extreme measures.  
Something about the whole situation did not feel right. Gut instinct told him   
something very important was at hand. Sleet paged his secretary.  
"Tionne, put me through to the Desert Base; Dr. Orange in Research. Encryption level   
five." He waited impatiently as the high level encryption calculated for a few minutes.   
Finally, he heard a 'click' signifying the connection was open.  
"G-general Sleet!" Orange said nervously. "How can I assist you sir?"  
"Something has come up, Dr. Orange. I have a hunch that the terrorists who struck   
yesterday are not finished."  
"Are you sure sir?"  
"Positive. They will no doubt be emboldened by their victory. I will be advising the   
High Council to raise an alert at all installations. I doubt they'd be foolhardy enough to   
actually attack the Desert Base, but it is best to be prepared."   
"A wise decision, sir."  
"The reason I'm calling is because I want you to step up schedule working on the   
Namek. I want him examined, dissected, and cloned as soon as possible"  
"Well, ah, sir, that might take some time."  
"I understand. When is the earliest you can start?"  
"Well, we need to two days to set up the equipment. I shall personally oversee the   
operation."  
"Very well. I will be there in two days time to witness the operation."  
"Yes sir. We will be ready for your arrival."  
"Good. Sleet out."  
Sleet leaned back in his chair. It would not take much to convince the council to step   
up security after last night's disaster. With the Namek's powers added, they should easily   
be able to handle any threat. If all went as planned, Aran would even have an upper hand   
in world politics and in their dealings with the Saiyans. It was a situation in which little   
could go wrong.  
Then why could he not shake a feeling of impending doom? 


	6. Side Story #1: Jed's Sidestory

The Rage: Prophecy of the Ten  
  
Disclaimer: DBZ is owned by people who are not me who haven't given me any   
permission to use their copyrighted material. But that's not gonna stop me   
(Bwahahahaha!!!!). Ahem…well, anyway, all other characters were created by myself   
and other fans and any similarity with a real person is either purely coincidental or   
intentionally malicious, whichever is more convenient. Please don't rip the characters, it   
took too long to make them up!  
  
Part 1 – The SuperHuman Saga  
Side Story #1: Jed's Side Story  
  
Jed stared into space, pondering an important matter. He could not decide whether he   
liked killing more for the blood or for the screams. He did enjoy the screams, but those   
came too cheaply, far before death. He was a hands-on type of guy, and nothing was   
more hands-on than pummeling someone till they bleed through their own pores. He   
grinned at that thought He concluded that what he liked most, above the screams and   
blood, was the last breath of his victims. There was something exciting about that raspy,   
shallow exhalation of air that reminded him of his power. It was something you could   
only get once from anyone.  
"My Lord Jedarian," he heard a tinny voice say, "You may see the Emperor now."  
Jed looked at the short protocol android in front of him with disdain. "It's about damn   
time." He snarled. Patience was never his virtue, and today of all days he had next to   
none. He was excited, for today would be the day he took his destiny into his own hands   
instead of allowing the Emperor to continue to decide it for him. Today he would take his   
rightful place as the Emperor of the Saiyan Empire.  
The atmosphere was almost electric in the throne room. It was intense and suffocating   
and exciting, all at the same time, and it imbued Jed with even more confidence. He   
walked into the throne room with an overly arrogant swagger that was totally devoid of   
the respect that should have been retained for his Emperor. He did not even look around   
at what was considered to be one of the most awe-inspiring structures of the Saiyan   
Empire. The throne room could easily have stored ten thousand Saiyan space pods   
stacked stacked in rows of 100. It only held a few things now; Jed used to think that the   
Emperor just used its enormity to intimidate others; upon closer examination, however,   
he began to suspect that the Emperor might also have been fighting and killing people in   
the room too. There just was no good reason to so highly reinforce the *ceiling*.  
Jed stopped short at the foot of the throne dais and bowed low, not out of respect so   
much as habit and to keep the Emperor from guessing his true intentions. "Greetings, my   
Emperor. I have come…"  
"…To kill me?" a voice said from the shadows of the fifteen feet high throne. Jed's   
voice stuck in his throat before he could blurt out anything in his defense. "It is too bad,   
really. You were easily my best warrior."  
Jed cleared his throat, thinking of the appropriate thing to say. "My Emperor, I do not   
know what you mean…"  
"Please, drop the façade, Jedarian. Have you not learned after all these years?"  
Jed whipped his head up and glared angrily into the glowing red eyes that looked at   
him from the shadows. He stood up from his bow and crossed his arms over his chest,   
casting a disdainful look at the enshrouded figure. "You say that as if the fight is already   
over. As I suspected, your overconfidence is astounding. You have been getting soft shut   
away here in your throne room while real warriors were being hardened in battle. The   
only thing keeping the others at bay is their reverence for what you've done. I, however,   
heed the voice of destiny. It is telling me that your time as leader of the Saiyan Empire is   
over."  
The Emperor laughed a deep, ominous, sinister laugh. "Now I see why you are my top   
warrior. Anyone else would be intimidated by your brazen attitude." He stood and swept   
his cape away and behind him. He walked slowly and deliberately down the stairs of the   
dais. "I hope this is interesting, for your sake."  
Jed smirked at the remark. He stepped to the side, allowing the Emperor to walk past.   
The urge to attack the Emperor while his back was turned was strong, but he fought it   
back. "No, I'll fight him like a true warrior, face to face." he thought. He followed the   
Emperor away from the dais towards the center of the huge throne room.  
The Emperor suddenly turned and stared at him, almost as if to bore a hole through   
him. Jed resisted the urge to flinch at those cold, evil red eyes, not wanting to give him   
the satisfaction. They continued staring one another down for sever minutes, searching   
for a weakness. A smirk slowly inched its way across the Emperor's face.  
As if a trigger had been pulled, the two flew at each other, feral yells escaping their   
throats as they tore at each other. Jed took the offensive, sending flurries of punches and   
kicks in the Emperor's direction. The Emperor blurred, avoiding each blow with ease.   
Before he could react, Jed felt the sting of a string of rapid-fire punches to his chest and   
abdomen. He suddenly found twenty-five feet separating himself and the Emperor.  
"You are lacking, Jedarian." the Emperor said with disgust. "Can't you even hit me   
when I'm moving slowly? Or should I stand still?"  
Jed growled angrily. He quickly powered up to Super Saiyan and launched himself at   
the Emperor with his right foot pulled back for a kick. He brought his foot around, intent   
on lopping off the Emperor's head. The Emperor calmly raised his arm, as if in slow   
motion, and intercepted the kick with his forearm. Jed flipped back, avoiding a retaliatory   
uppercut. He didn't have time to rest, however, as the Emperor pursued him with   
lightning quick kicks and punches. He kept backpedaling until he slammed into a wall.   
His vision filled with stars momentarily, but a punch that barely grazed his face brought   
him back to attention. The Emperor continued punching at him, tearing holes into the   
reinforced metal wall as Jed barely managed to avoid the onslaught. Jed began   
channeling ki into his hands as he searched for an opening in the Emperor's attack.   
Suddenly he saw the Emperor overextend slightly; taking advantage of the slip-up, he   
thrust his hands forward, unleashing his ki directly into the Emperor's chest.  
The Emperor looked genuinely surprised as he saw the energy jump the few   
centimeters from Jed's hand to his chest. In a great flash, he was hurled 30 feet back   
before he was able to stop himself. Jed decided to press his advantage, flying towards the   
Emperor throwing ki blasts. The Emperor angrily slapped them away like so many flies   
before launching himself at Jed. Before Jed could react, the Emperor had zanzokened   
directly into Jed's face and landed a powerful punch to his chest with a sickening crack.   
Jed flew back fifty feet before landing with a thud on the floor and sliding ten more feet.  
Jed grimaced through the pain of three broken ribs on his right side. He could not   
understand what he was doing wrong. He would seem to be holding his own in the fight,   
when the Emperor would suddenly unleash an attack that would catch him off guard. He   
had the unsettling feeling that the Emperor was merely toying with him. That was not a   
pleasant thought, considering he was already at the first level of Super Saiyan while the   
Emperor was not. He would have to go to the next level. Jed got up and began channeling   
his anger and hatred, forcing the second Super Saiyan transformation to emerge.  
"Now we're even." he said confidently.  
"No, Jedarian, we will never be even."  
Jed laughed impetuously at the statement, putting on a front of false bravado. The   
sinking feeling in his stomach, however, would not go away. The Emperor still wore the   
confident smirk he always wore. There would be no intimidating him. Jed would have to   
do something now to gain an advantage.  
"Fine, if you're so confident, my Emperor…" Jed leapt into the air and began to growl   
as he gathered his ki, concentrating it into his forearms. His growl soon became a yell as   
the ki began to rise to painful levels. Suddenly, his eyes flew open and a calm look swept   
over his face. "…take this! DUO BEAM FURY!!!"  
Golden energy beams shot out of his clenched fists like lasers. The thin streams were   
soon overtaken by violently churning eruptions of energy. What initially looked like   
average beams were now twenty feet wide and ten feet high. For the first time, the   
Emperor appeared to be concerned about the attack. The boiling rage of energy plowed   
into him before he could raise his arms in defense, exploding on contact.  
Jed breathed heavily from the exertion. He peered into the smoke that surrounded the   
impact area, looking for signs of the Emperor. It amazed him that the throne room   
managed to take such damage without showing a mark. The Emperor had survived that   
blast, of that much he was sure. How much it had damaged him was the question.  
As if on command, the smoke somehow found wind and blew away, revealing the   
Emperor, his head lowered and arms crossed across his chest. Besides some singing and   
bruising, he looked not much worse for wear. A slow laugh escaped his throat that grew   
to fill the chamber.  
"A very interesting attack, " he said," he said almost nonchalantly, "Anyone else   
would have been vaporized; to me it was barely a scratch."  
"You bluff." Jed responded unconvincingly.  
"Do I really? I am not the one with golden hair and green eyes, gasping for breath like   
a suffocating fish. As we speak, your power diminishes, while I have barely broken a   
sweat." A flicker of emotion passed over his face. "You disappoint me."  
Jed's mind raged. It was true, here he was a second level Super Saiyan while the   
Emperor had not even powered up. Even the Fury beam attack had been ineffective, and   
it was one of his most powerful ki attacks. He had no choice; he would have to use his   
last resort. God help him if it was not enough, he could not take any more attacks from   
the Emperor.  
"Well, Jedarian, do you have any more little tricks to show me, or shall I begin your   
excruciating death now?"  
"Watch and learn." Jedarian said confidently, "Know the power of the first Silver   
Saiyan!"  
The Emperor wore a cruel smirk. It disappeared from his face when he felt the   
stirrings of power within Jed. Jed remembered all his hate and anger and bloodlust and   
focused it all into the very core of his being. Then he used his ki to stoke the fire fed by   
those dark emotions, making it grow hotter and larger each passing second. Soon, he   
shook with rage and his hands were red with blood that ran from gouges created by his   
fingernails as he clinched his fists. As if possessed, he began gnashing his teeth and   
growling and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Finally, before it seemed like his   
control over his rage would fail, he forced the rage back until it seemed to be nonexistent.   
The Emperor blinked, then laughed.  
"So," he said, "all of that for a temper tantrum?" His laugh echoed in the monstrous   
chamber.  
It was Jed's turn to laugh. His laugh, however, was guttural and had an underlying   
tone of deadly menace. "My Emperor," Jed replied, almost spitting, "You have no   
patience."  
The air began to shimmer around Jed. Sparks began to jump around his body,   
gradually joining together to form electricity that coursed around him violently. Jed   
spread his arms out to his sides, as if welcoming someone or something. The electricity   
lifted his course black hair, shifting it around as like a gale. Slowly, his hair began to   
flash as its color changed. But the color was not gold; it was silver.  
If he was surprised by this new transformation, the Emperor did not let it show. He   
continued to smirk arrogantly, apparently unimpressed. Jed noticed that he had   
unwrapped his tail from his waist and allowed it to swish around freely, the greatest insult   
from a Saiyan in battle. Jed refused to let this unnerve him. Though he had been handily   
defeated in his Super Saiyan form, his Silver Saiyan transformation exceeded Super   
Saiyan in speed, stamina, and ferocity.  
"Now you know the truth about me, Emperor. Now you know that your time is up."   
He launched himself at the Emperor, his newly grown fangs bared and his blood-red eyes   
filled with hatred and bloodlust. He cocked his fist back and thrust it forward, multiplying   
its power twenty fold with his ki. With a loud smack, his fist impacted with the   
Emperor's face. Then Emperor did not even move.  
The Emperor looked directly into Jed's eyes, then he flashed a predatory smile. At that   
moment, Jed knew fear for perhaps the first time in his life. He felt a sharp pain in his   
stomach. He looked down to see he was impaled on the Emperor's arm up to the elbow.  
"H-how…" he stammered weakly.  
"How did I do that?" the Emperor said. "You are a great Saiyan warrior, Jedarian, but   
your confidence is only exceeded by your ignorance. You see, what may seem impressive   
to you was nothing but slow motion and weakness to me. And, for the record, you were   
not the first Silver Saiyan." His hair became spiky and silver in an instant. "I was. As   
usual, you are a disappointment. Go where all things that disappoint me go."  
The Emperor grabbed Jed by the throat and began to squeeze, laughing as he enjoyed   
the panicked gurgling escaping the throat. He did not stop squeezing till he felt each of   
the vertebrae in the neck pop out of place. Unceremoniously, he tossed the body to the   
side.  
"Till next time, Jedarian." he said aloud as he turned and headed back towards his   
throne. 


End file.
